Personal Comfort Pad

ABSTRACT

This invention is a semi-permanent personal comfort pad designed to provide for relief from discomfort produced through pressure points on the human body typically occurring when in a sitting position. It will consist of a visco-elastic polymer with a variation in density and shear properties formed into a variety of shapes, thickness and contours, encased in a polymer film and covered with a flexible fabric cloth to provide for additional comfort and to accommodate the aesthetic needs of the user. The flat bottom portion of the personal comfort pad shall have a semi-permanent adhesive and as an alternate the visco-elastic polymer will be used as an adhesive by perforating the film on the bottom of the comfort pad. In those applications where applying an adhesive to a cloth or leather is inappropriate, a flat plastic plate with accompanying straps with hook and loop attachments will be utilized as the means to attach the comfort pad to the surface.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX

Not Applicable

REFERENCES CITED

-   U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,713 -   U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,288 -   U.S. Pat. No. 6,827,405 -   U.S. Pat. No. 6,840,566 -   U.S. Pat. No. 7,431,396 -   U.S. Pat. No. 6,506,271 -   U.S. Pat. No. 2,877,049 -   U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,374 -   U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,711 -   U.S. Pat. No. 6,578,914 -   U.S. Pat. No. 6,694,553 -   U.S. Pat. No. 6,981,735

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This present invention is a semi-permanent personal comfort pad designed to provide for relief from human discomfort produced through pressure points on the human body typically occurring when in a sitting position such as but not limited to an office chair, vehicle seat or other such stationary positions. The personal comfort pad is designed to provide for the long term distribution of energy wherever portions of the body such as elbows, forearms, wrist, knees, ankles or legs come in regular and prolong contact with a harder surface, causing an uncomfortable pressure point on the body, that if continued could produce a host of underlying medical conditions

A variety of comfort type pads have sought patent protection for applications in vehicle seats, chairs and other apparatus use to accommodate humans in a stationary seating position. For example,

-   -   U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,713 appears to show a removable armrest for         attachment to the windowsill of a vehicle door.     -   U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,288 appears to show an armrest which is         selectively attachable to the car door arm rest.     -   U.S. Pat. No. US 6,827,405 appears to show a portable armrest         cushion for use with an existing chair.     -   U.S. Pat. No. 6,840,566 appears to show a removable arm support         of a vehicle door.     -   U.S. Pat. No. 7,431,396 appears to show a portable cushion for         ridged seat armrest.     -   U.S. Pat. No. 6,506,271 appears to show an elastomer film         laminated cushion that does not inhibit the underlying         properties of the gel.     -   U.S. Pat. No. 2,877,049 appears to show and arm rest that covers         the window frame of a vehicle.     -   U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,374 appears to show a padded armrest for a         chair using foam and bands for attachment     -   U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,711 appears to show a vehicle armrest that         is attached to the door armrest     -   U.S. Pat. No. 6,578,914 appears to show an adjustable chair         armrest cushion that has a hard base and straps for attachment.     -   U.S. Pat. No. 6,694,553 appears to show a gel pad with a         supporting frame     -   U.S. Pat. No. 6,981,735 appears to show a comfort pad for auto         that resides over the window frame

Each of the prior art references cited include at least one or more of the following disadvantages. Due to the many different types of seating arrangements and pressure points specific to the body type, individual seating preferences and material types of the surfaces where the body comes in contact, most prior art depicting devices used to relieved pressure on the human body are not universal and they do not include variable adjustment means so as to allow the user to place the cushioning device in a position specific to their unique situation and preferences. An additional disadvantage of the prior art is lack of ergonomic qualities of the material used to provide for the continuous comfort of the user. Still a further disadvantage is the lack of ability to place their device in any position that the user desires wherever they may experience a pressure point on their body. Yet another disadvantage is that most are limited to either a mechanical attachment or adhesive attachment but not both so as to limit the variability of applications.

Technologies that address the needs of humans to relieve pressure points have been available from the beginning of time when human first placed leaves or animal fur on the rock to disburse the pressure energy into their body. These technologies have evolved over time but for the most part the focus has been on durability rather than comfort. Those that have been developed are generally specific to a limited application by the user. Experience has demonstrated, that while many manufactures of devices associated with accommodating humans in one position for long period of time, tend to design some form of support and relief from pressure points on the body, they are generally designed for durability, not comfort and for one body type(s) and or position. A variety of devices have been made to modify or adapt existing structures to provide for improved human comfort but due to their own limiting factors and the extreme variations in the types of structure designed for holding humans in one position for extended periods of time, they have never gained widespread acceptance. This combined with the limiting energy dispersing capabilities and rapid degradation of their materials, have produced a less than satisfactory performance in delivering personal comfort. The personal comfort pad device described herein will serve to address these issues.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention built using a combination of visco-elastic polymers for energy dispersion, high quality flexible fabric and non-permanent adhesives and or mechanical fasteners, the personal comfort pad can be attached to most any surface and in any position, giving it the flexibility to meet a host of human comfort needs. The properties of the visco-elastic polymer whose features mimics that of soft human muscle, are transferred through the flexible film and fabric and provides a superior level of continuous comfort not offered through many other products. The ability to attach the comfort pad to most any surface and any seating application solves the problems of other products that are more application specific. The personal comfort pads are designed to be compact and aesthetically pleasing so as to complement the existing environment. The flexibility in attachment combined with energy disbursing properties and resiliency of the visco elastic polymer within the personal comfort pad, will allow a person to achieve relief from pressure points that is specific to their body size, type and position and particular to their every changing experience.

DRAWINGS Brief Description of the Accompanying Drawings

FIG. 1 is a cutaway view of the comfort pad with an additional adhesive material placed on the bottom of the pad for attachment to other surfaces.

FIG. 2 is a cutaway view of the comfort pad with the visco-elastic polymer used as the adhesive material on the bottom of the pad for attachment to other surfaces.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the comfort pad with holes in the film that covers the visco-elastic polymer

FIG. 4 is an end view of the attachment plate with fastener straps.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the attachment plate with fastener straps

FIG. 6 is a 3D view of the top of the comfort pad showing contours in the upper surface.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the comfort pad showing the contours of the upper surface.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the comfort pad attached to a cloth armrest with the optional attachment plate

DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The comfort pad invention consist of a combination of a visco-elastic polymer of various densities, shear properties, elongations, shapes, thicknesses and contours 1 for the interior of the comfort pad 12 that has the physical properties that mimics the feel of an soft human muscle, covered on the top, bottom and sides with a polymer film 2 that does not significantly diminish the properties of the visco-elastic polymer 1. This encapsulated visco-elastic polymer is covered in a flexible fabric 3 on the sides and top that retains the properties of the visco-elastic polymer. The comfort pad is attached to the surface of the users choosing either through an adhesive film 4 or through the perforated surface of the polymer film 10 located on the bottom portion of the pad. The surface to which the comfort pad will be attached directly will be any solid non-cloth material. For cloth surfaces an alternative method of attachment is provided that consist of a flat plastic plate 18 matching the adhesive footprint of the comfort pad 12 that is attached to an armrest 19 using a combination of straps 14, buckle 15 and hoop and loop fasteners 17 and whereas the comfort pad is attached to the plastic plate 18 using one of the two adhesive methods described above.

In FIG. 1 of the drawings a cutaway is shown of the comfort pad 12 where the visco-elastic polymer 1 is the center of the pad and is encased in a polymer film 2 to maintain the integrity of the visco-elastic polymer and to prevent leakage. The film 2 is covered in a flexible fabric 3 that covers the top and sides of the pad 12 and welded to the film 2 directly or to the visco-elastic polymer 1. The lower portion of FIG. 1 shows an adhesive film 4 welded directly to the visco-elastic polymer 1 and covered by a protective covering 5 that is removed prior to application of the adhesive to the surface to which the comfort pad is to be attached.

In FIG. 2 of the drawings a cutaway is shown of the comfort pad 12 with an alternative method of attachment using the visco-elastic polymer 1 natural adhesive properties as the means of attachment of the pad to various surfaces, where the visco-elastic polymer 1 is the center of the pad and is encased in a polymer film 2 to maintain the integrity of the visco-elastic polymer and to prevent leakage. The film 2 is covered in a flexible fabric 3 that covers the top and sides of the pad 12 and welded to the film 2 directly or to the visco-elastic polymer 1. The lower portion of FIG. 2 shows a protective paper 5 that covers the perforated film 10 as shown in FIG. 3 and is removed prior to application to the surface to which the comfort pad is to be attached.

In FIG. 3 of the drawings a view is shown of the bottom 11 of the comfort pad 12 where the film 2 is perforated with holes 10 across its surface exposing the visco-elastic polymer 1 whereas the visco-elastic polymer will serve as an adhesive for the comfort pad.

In FIG. 4 of the drawings an end view of an attachment accessory for use on armrest where the adhesive as described in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are not practical, is shown that provides for an appropriate media for the attachment of the comfort pad using the adhesive 4 or the visco-elastic polymer 1 as depicted in FIG. 3 whereas a flat plastic plate 18 matching the footprint of the comfort pad 1 has rectangular holes 13 placed appropriately on opposites sides and ends of the plastic plate 18 for the passage of straps 14 through the plate for the purposes of securing the comfort pad to an armrest. The straps 14 have attached at one end a buckle 15 where the nylon strap 14 is looped through the buckle 15 and sewn on itself 16 and the other end is looped through the other side of the buckle 15 and attached back to itself using a loop and hook fastener system 17.

In FIG. 5 of the drawings a top view of an attachment accessory for cloth and leather arm rest is shown that provides for an appropriate media for the attachment of the comfort pad using the adhesive 4 or the visco-elastic polymer 1 as depicted in FIG. 3 whereas a flat plastic plate 18 matching the footprint of the comfort pad 1 has rectangular holes 13 placed appropriately on opposites sides and ends of the plastic plate 18 for the passage of the nylon straps 14 through the holes 13 in the plate 18 for the purposes of securing the comfort pad 12 to an armrest 19. The nylon straps 14 have attached at one end a plastic buckle 15 where the nylon strap 14 is looped through the buckle 15 and sewn on itself 16 and the other end is looped through the other side of the buckle 15 and attached back to itself using a loop and hook fastener system 17.

In FIG. 6 of the drawings a top 3D view of the comfort pad is shown that depicts one of the various contours 8 of the surface of the comfort pad 12.

In FIG. 7 of the drawings a top view of the comfort pad is shown that depicts one of the many sizes of the comfort pad along with contours 8 of the surface to aid in comfort.

In FIG. 8 of the drawings an end view cross section of the comfort pad 12 is shown with the attachment accessory as depicted in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 where the comfort pad 12 is attached with the adhesive 4 to the plastic plate 13 that is fastened to the armrest 19 using the combination of the nylon straps 14, passed through the holes 13 and using buckle 15 and loop and hook fastener system 17 to secure to the armrest 19. 

That which is claimed for in this invention and for which protection is sought:
 1. A personal comfort pad consisting of a visco-elastic polymer of various densities, shear and elongation properties, shapes, thicknesses and contours encapsulated in a polymer film of which properties serve to transfer the cushioning, elongation and shear characteristics of the visco-elastic polymer to the user.
 2. The personal comfort pad of claim 1 with a flexible cloth fabric of which whose properties serve to transfer the cushioning, shear and elongation properties of the visco-elastic polymer to the user, fastened to the visco-elastic polymer film of the personal comfort pad.
 3. The personal comfort pad of claim 1 with a semi-permanent adhesive fastened to the bottom portion of the visco-elastic polymer or polymer film to allow for attachment to a variety of surfaces and in a variety of positions.
 4. The personal comfort pad of claim 1 without the adhesive of claim 2, and with the polymer film on the lower surface having voids to expose the visco-elastic polymer whereas the visco-elastic polymer's natural adhesive properties are used as the adhesive to attach the device to a variety of surfaces and in a variety of positions.
 5. A flexible plastic sheet of various thicknesses and rigidity and of a size to match the bottom footprint of the personal comfort pad of claim 1 along with multiple straps, buckle and hook and loop fasteners system for attachment to an armrest of a vehicle or chair to which the personal comfort pad would attach via an adhesive as described in claims 3 and
 4. 